8/28/09

Each Friday in this Year for Priests I'll post this prayer and invite you to remember all priests and especially those who have been, who are and who may one day be a part of your life.

Several prayers for the Year for Priests are available through the US Bishops site. As an exercise for myself to enter into the spirit of this year, I wrote the following. For whatever use you make of it on behalf of my brother priests and me, we are most grateful. (Links to other material on the Year for Priests can be found on the sidebar.)

A Prayer for Priests

Gracious God, loving Father,font of every gift and good,make of priests for us we pray:

men of faith, men of love,humble servants of your Word,prophets of your Spirit’s grace;

men of hope, men of peace,strong defenders of the truth,heralds of your holy gospel;

men of prayer, men of praise,guardians of our sacred rites,of the scriptures and tradition;

men of changelessness and change,men who follow you each day,when and where your Spirit leads;

men of tenderness and strength,comfort for the sick and weary,shepherds leading home the lost;

men of counsel, men of wisdom,gentle guides for the confused,lights along the darkened path;

men of mercy, patient men,understanding and consolingof the grieving and abused;

men of justice and compassion,reconciling and forgiving,men of healing in your name;

men of sacrifice and honor,single minded in your service,set apart to do your will;

men of holiness and joy,men anointed by your grace,men ordained to serve as Christ.

Make us one with them in faithand in Christ your only Sonin whose holy name we pray.

Are you thinking about becoming a Catholic?

The best place to start is always one of your local Catholic churches. Drop in some Sunday and see what's going on. Then you might speak to the pastor or someone on the parish staff about how they can help you and respond to your questions.